Standard fishing reels for casting include a reel body with means for fixing the reel body to a fishing rod, a spool and line recovery means. Reel bodies have a variety of sizes and shapes and are configured for carrying the spool which supplies fishing line. The line recovery means typically includes a transmission mechanism inside the reel body and a crank for rotating a flyer about the spool. The flyer carries a retractable line recovery device bail which recovers and guides the fishing line as it is wound about the spool during rotation of the flyer. During casting, the bail is pivoted out of engagement with the fishing line to dispense the fishing line.
Over time, the supply of fishing line carried by the spool becomes depleted and must be replaced. Moreover, it is often desirable to replace the current fishing line being used with a heavier or lighter weight fishing line depending upon the weight of the bait or lures, the fishing environment and the size and type of fish being sought. As a result, fishing reels are typically provided with removable spools of fishing line so that spools may be easily exchanged or replaced.
Removable spools are removably mounted to the reel body by a variety of means. For example, many removable spools are axially positioned about a support shaft of the reel body. To prevent rotation of the spool, the spool and the support shaft are keyed relative to one another. To axially maintain the spool on the support shaft, a nut is threadably secured on an end of the support shaft to capture the spool against the reel body. Unfortunately, the nut used to secure the spool often loosens, becomes separated from the support shaft and is lost. The nut also is frequently lost during the replacement or exchange of spools.
To eliminate the nut, many fishing reels include threaded spools which are threaded upon and about the support shaft of the reel. In particular, the threaded spools include internal threads which threadably engage external threads on the support shaft. As with the nuts, the threaded spools require precise alignment of the threads and multiple turns to axially secure the spool to the fishing reel body.
In an attempt to reduce the time required to change spools, Meulnart, U.S. Pat. No. 2,942,799, issued Jun. 28, 1960, discloses a spool having outwardly extending radial flaps. The radial flaps register within gaps between peripheral locking flanges spaced from the reel body. Rotation of the spool captures the radial flaps between the locking flanges and the reel body to axially secure the spool to the reel body.
Although allowing quicker spool exchange, the Meulnart spool is bulky, expensive to manufacture and inconvenient to store. Because the radial flaps extend outwardly from the Meulnart spool and because the locking flanges of the reel body extend around and about the radial flaps, the overall diameter of the reel body as well as its weight are undesirably increased. Because the locking flanges of the Meulnart spool extend around and about the radial flaps, the reel body is complex and difficult to manufacture. Moreover, unless the spacing between the locking flanges and the reel body is precisely controlled to closely match the thickness of the radial flaps, the spool will axially reciprocate along the support shaft. Alternatively, precisely controlling the spacing between the locking flanges and the reel body is difficult and increases manufacturing costs.
Furthermore, because the radial flaps extend outwardly from the spool body, the overall size of the spool is increased. As a result, the spool is more space consuming within an angler's tackle box. In addition, because the radial flaps extend outwardly from the spool, the radial flaps often catch and become tangled with other lures, hooks and fishing accessories stored within a tackle box.